North Korea fortifies border, US and South Korean soldiers honored after KPA soldier defects

After a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea last week, North Korea has allegedly fortified part of its border. US and South Korean soldiers were awarded medals for their role in saving the defector, who was shot and wounded by his fellow soldiers.

North Korea has reportedly fortified part of its border with South Korea and replaced its guards after one of the country’s soldiers defected last week. US and South Korean soldiers have been honored for their role in rescuing the North Korean defector.

As reported earlier this week by JOL, the Korean People’s Army (KPA) defector was injured by his fellow KPA soldiers’ gunfire as he sprinted into the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA). According to US Forces Korea, the US and South Korean soldiers who rescued the injured defected North Korean soldier by dragging him to safety were awarded medals.

A member from a Seoul-based group of senior-level diplomats told Reuters today (Friday) that the group visited the JSA on Wednesday and saw five North Koreans digging a trench where the defected soldier’s jeep got stuck allowing him to sprint across the border. A photograph of the North Korean workers digging the trench was posted to acting US Ambassador to South Korea Marc Knapper’s Twitter.

“The workers were being watched very closely by the KPA guards, not just the two in the photo, but others out of shot behind the building,” stated the diplomat, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitive situation.